The Oppo Find 7 is a new smartphone with a 5.5" QHD display, 13-megapixel camera, an f/2 lens, raw image capture and 4K movie recording capabilities. One of the most interesting features of this already well-specified handset is its ability to combine four exposures (automatically selected from a 10-frame burst) into a single 50-megapixel photograph. Other highlights include 720p video capture at 120fps for slow-motion playback and a robust 3,000mAh battery. The Oppo Find 7 will sell for around 3500 yuan in China, with international pricing and availability to be announced.

The Canon Professional Services (CPS) program has been expanded to provide support for all Cinema EOS products. A new CPS Cinema level has been added to the current Silver, Gold and Platinum levels, providing members with benefits like maintenance services, repair discounts and equipment evaluation loans. In addition, members receive Canon Live Learning discounts, access to a 24/7 Live Exclusive Member Hotline, as well as a range of other benefits. CPS Cinema members receive expedited two-business day turnaround on their registered products at Canon Service and Support centers located in Hollywood, CA, and Ridgefield Park, NJ. To become a CPS Cinema member a customer needs to own just one Cinema Zoom lens, or one of the following Cinema EOS cameras: the EOS C300, EOS C500, or EOS-1D C (pictured). Annual membership for CPS Cinema is $1,000.

Inspired Photo Gear has announced two new products - the Light Blaster (pictured), which lets you project the photorealistic backdrop of your choice into any picture using your existing speedlight; and RoundFlash, an innovative collapsible ring light and softbox. The Light Blaster costs £99.00, and the RoundFlash is available for a special introductory price of £92.95.

AKVIS Draw is a new computer program enabling users to convert their photos into drawings. Featuring ready-to-use presets and adjustable parameters, the software imitates various "esquisse" drawing styles and supports batch processing that lets you turn all your photos into a sketchbook or a storyboard within minutes. AKVIS Draw sells for $49 / €39 (Home Licence).

The Art of Winter: A Photographic Essay is an exquisitely crafted multi-touch eBook authorded by Julie M. Covert. Offering a rich collection of photographs, essays, and videos that celebrate the unique beauty found only in winter; the book has received a bronze medal in the Great Lakes Region, Nonfiction category in the 2013 IPPY Book Awards. The eBook version is available as a free download from iTunes until the end of the month. A hardback edition is also available, priced at $38.

Toshiba today launched its highest-capacity external hard drive, the 5TB STOR.E Canvio Desktop External HDD. The device's built-in USB 3.0 interface and compatibility with previous generations of USB 2.0 devices significantly improves large file transfer performance and minimises waiting time for backup, the company says. Additionally, the STOR.E Canvio will enable users to better manage their data with a Drive Space Alert. The add-on feature will keep an eye on your drive and let you know when it’s getting full.

The Societies today announced that Fujifilm is supporting the Photographer of the Year Award. Members of the Societies have the opportunity of winning a Fujifilm X-T1 compact system camera (pictured) and Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 R lens by entering their monthly photography competitions, which run from January through to Novembers. The competition is judged the first week of each month, therefore entries need to be received by the final week of the preceding month. Phil Jones CEO of the Societies says “This is a great incentive for our members to enter our competition and stand the chance of walking away with this incredible piece of kit.” For more information on the competitions, head to the website below.

The Samsung NX mini is billed as "the world's slimmest interchangeable-lens camera." Featuring NFC and Wi-Fi capabilities, the Samsung NX mini has a 1"-type 20.5-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, 6fps continuous shooting mode and a maximum shutter speed of 1/16000 second. The 3-inch touchscreen that flips 180-degrees allows users to take self-portraits effortlessly. Unlike other Samsung NX models, the NX mini has a brand new NX-M lens mount, with two lenses available at launch: a 9mm f/3.5 and a stabilised 9-27mm f/3.5-5.6. A stabilised 17mm f/1.8 will be available at a later date (multiply the focal lengths by 2.7 for the 35mm equivalents). The Samsung NX mini will retail for $449, paired with the new 9mm NX-M lens, or $549 when paired with the 9-27mm lens and SEF-7A flash. The 9mm and 9-27mm NX-M lenses will retail for $179 and $279, respectively. In the UK, the camera will be available for £399.99 in a kit with the 9mm f/3.5 lens. Availability is slated for early April in both markets.

DxO Labs have released version 2.1.4 of DxO ViewPoint, a program dedicated to fixing problems with keystoning and volume anamorphosis. This update adds new camera/lens combinations to automatically correct distortion in JPEG and TIFF photos.

DxO Labs today released an update to DxO Optics Pro. Version 9,1,4 adds support for the Nikon D4S (Elite Edition only) and three additional cameras, the Sony A5000, the Leica X Vario (Type 107), and the GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition. In addition, the library of DxO Optics Modules has been expanded with 170 new camera/lens combinations.

Canon has issued a firmware update for its EOS 6D full-frame digital SLR camera. Version 1.1.4 fixes a phenomenon in which some images cannot be transferred to mobile devices running the EOS Remote app, corrects an error in the German language Feature Guide and another error in the Korean language Feature Guide.

Website: Canon EOS 6D
 

Nikon has released a firmware update for the Nikon D4 full-frame digital SLR camera. Version 1.10 adds a new custom setting (Assign Remote Fn Button), provides support for Compact Flash memory cards greater than 128GB, modifies the specifications for Custom Setting a4 (AF Activation), and  fixes a bug related to certain Compact Flash memory cards being inserted simultaneously with an XQD card.

Website: Nikon D4 Firmware Update A 1.10, B 1.10

Berlin, Germany-based startup LUUV has developed a camera stabiliser for action cams and smartphones. "With LUUV you don’t have to go through the tedious process of self-balancing and adjusting your camera on the stabiliser anymore," the company says. "Simply apply the recommended setup for your device which you’ll find on our website and you’ll be set to go within a few minutes." Interested readers are encouraged to visit the project's IndieGoGo page.

Digital photography specialist Fujifilm, well known for its affordable yet powerful lenses, is currently offering brilliant deals on a number of products in its popular XF range.

Buyers of one XF lens can claim a cool £100 (or €120) cashback, while those who purchase a pair of lenses will get a bonus £100 cashback, making for a whopping total of £300 (€360) cashback.

BBC Wildlife Magazine has announced that its 2014 Camera-trap Photo of the Year competition is now open for entries. This year’s awards fall into two areas: Camera-trap Research Project of the Year (with a prize of £3,000) and Camera-trap Photo of the Year. A maximum of 12 camera-trap images can be entered into one of the competition categories. The closing date for entries is 30 June 2014. The winners will be published in the December 2014 issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine and on the BBC Wildlife Magazine website and will receive a Lowepro Flipside Sport 15L camera pack, worth £122..As always, we recommend that you read the terms and conditions before entering your work.

Spirit of Place is the title of a new exhibition of pinhole photographs by actor Wayne Foskett. "I generally work with a pinhole camera," he says. " It can transform the banal into the poetic.” Opening on Thursday 10th April, the exhibition is hosted by the Maison Bertaux Gallery, 28 Greek Street, London W1D 5DQ

The Xsories U-Shot extensions give photographers an extra arm's length for selfies and unique photos. You can attach virtually any type of compact camera or small camcorder to the top of the extending arm with a universal quarter inch screw. A stainless aluminium ball head and easy thumb screw enables you to arrange your own camera angles. The extensions come in two sizes, U-Shot (£34.99) and Big U-Shot (£39.99), and are available in a variety of colours. Both products are distributed by Ultra Sport Europe.

The World Photography Organisation (WPO) has revealed the category winners in the Sony World Photography Awards Open and Youth competitions. The jury, chaired by Nigel Atherton, Group Editor, IPC Photo, UK, selected ten category winners for the Open competition, including Holger Schmidtke, Valerie Prudon, Kylli Sparre, Vlad Eftenie, Gert van den Bosch, Ivan Pedretti, Arup Ghosh, Alpay Erdem, Li Chen (for the photo, "Rain in an Ancient Town," above) and Hairul Azizi Harun. The category winners in the Youth competition include Paulina Metzscher, Turjoy Chowdhury and Borhan Mardani.

Update: Borhan Mardani has been disqualified - the new winner is Anastasia Zhetvina.

London based photographer Sean Batten has been announced as the winner of the UK National Award, part of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards. Batten, a software developer and keen amateur photographer, was chosen as the winner for a stunning architectural shot of one of the hallways at Canary Wharf tube station. As the UK National Award winner, Batten receives the latest Sony digital camera equipment and will attend the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards gala ceremony in London on 30th April.